Best Cooling Pillow: Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Feeling hot and sweaty can ruin a good night’s sleep. Even with the best sleep hygiene, an uncomfortably hot sleep environment only nullifies all of your other efforts.

There are a variety of ways to cool down at night, including using a cooling pillow. Cooling pillows contain unique properties designed to wick away sweat and dissipate heat so you sleep without disruptions.

Below, we review some of the best cooling pillows and help you understand how to choose the right one to keep you cool while you sleep.

Best Cooling Pillow Overview

	Model	Highlights	Price (Queen)
	Amerisleep Flex Pillow	Air circulates through the pillow’s MicroFlex cushions to ensure a cool night’s sleep	$75
	Zoma Pillow	Ventilated mesh pillow cover keeps you and the pillow dry	$75
	Vaya Pillow	Cool, supportive pillow offered at a reasonable rate	$60
	Coop Home Goods Eden Adjustable Shredded Gel Memory Foam	Pillow with extra half-pound of fill for maximum customization	$69
	Purple Harmony Pillow	Unique grid-like foam adds buoyancy and breathability	$159
	Bear Pillow	Loft-X foam features air channels to enhance cooling	$100

The pillow contains hundreds of MicroFlex cushions, adaptive foam pieces you can shape and reshape as you please. This feature is great for hot sleepers of any kind, including those who switch sleeping positions throughout the night. Warm air can escape between the MicroFlex Cushions, promoting excellent temperature regulation so you won’t overheat.

Amerisleep makes the Flex Pillow—along with all of their other products—in the USA. The Flex Pillow is CertiPUR-US® certified, meaning the foam is free of harmful chemicals and unlikely to off-gas. Amerisleep also offers a 10-year warranty and ships the Flex Pillow to your home for free.

Built from supportive MicroCushions™, a shredded gel memory foam, the Zoma Pillow prioritizes breathability and airflow. The MicroCushions™ are moldable, which lets you customize the loft and shape of the pillow to suit your needs. The shredded memory foam is designed to be highly responsive, but won’t go flat.

The pillow’s cover is made from a ventilated mesh fabric to wick away moisture and dissipate heat, ensuring you wake up cool and dry.

The Zoma Pillow comes in both king and queen sizes to suit any bed you have, both at an affordable rate. Zoma proudly makes the Zoma Pillow in the USA and backs it with a CertiPUR-US® certification. The pillow comes with free shipping and a 10-year warranty.

Made from the Vaya Foam Blend, the Vaya Pillow contours to your head and neck without going uncomfortably flat. The plush Vaya cover also provides more airflow, helping you stay dry and preventing you from overheating.

The Vaya Pillow is certified eco-friendly by CertiPUR-US®, ensuring the foam won’t off-gas when you open it.

The Vaya Pillow is backed by a 10-year warranty to protect it from workmanship defects. It also ships for free within the contiguous 48 states of the USA.

4. Coop Home Goods Eden Pillow

The Coop Home Goods Eden Pillow is made from gel-infused shredded memory foam. One of the main benefits of shredded memory foam is that air can circulate between the various pieces of foam, helping you stay cool. The gel infusion further keeps you and your pillow cool.

The pillow comes with an extra half-pound bag of shredded memory foam. With this, you can add or remove extra foam to the pillow to accommodate your sleeping position. The pillow’s knit cover is made from Lulltra™ fabric, a breathable blend of polyester and bamboo-derived viscose-rayon.

The Coop Home Goods Eden Pillow is machine washable and dryer safe. The pillow is also CertiPUR-US® certified, GREENGUARD Gold certified, vegan, hypoallergenic, and dust mite resistant.

Coop Home Goods offers a 100-night sleep trial and a 5-year warranty for the Eden Pillow. They craft the pillow in the USA as well.

5. Purple Harmony Pillow

The Purple Harmony Pillow is an innovative take on breathability and support. The pillow features 1500 open-air channels to promote air circulation and prevent overheating.

The pillow features 360º Purple Grid™ Hex, Purple’s grid-like foam. The Purple Grid™ Hex in the Harmony Pillow comes in a hexagonal shape to better adapt to your head and neck for personalized support. With a breathable Talalay Latex core, the pillow is bouncy, responsive, and durable.

The Purple Harmony Pillow is wrapped in a stretchy mesh cover. It wicks away moisture and draws heat away from your body.

Purple offers two lots for the Harmony Pillow: 6.5 inches and 7.5 inches. Both sizes come with a 100-night trial and a 1-year warranty. Purple also provides free shipping and returns for the Harmony Pillow.

6. Bear Pillow

The Bear Pillow was built for back and side sleepers who struggle with hot sleeping. The pillow’s Double Ice Fabric cover is made from phase change material, a naturally moisture-wicking and cool fabric.

The pillow contains the Loft-X foam, a shredded foam similar to memory foam and latex. The design contains ventilated channels and allows for more airflow throughout the pillow so it won’t overheat. Loft-X foam is naturally responsive and quickly snaps back to its original form, so it won’t go flat and can accommodate you if you change positions throughout the night.

The Bear Pillow is hypoallergenic and antimicrobial, so allergy sufferers can rest peacefully. It comes with a 2-year warranty and 100-night sleep trial; however, you are responsible for shipping in case you decide to return it.

What to Look For in a Cooling Pillow

When shopping for a cooling pillow, several factors impact whether or not your pillow will perform well for you. Consider a pillow’s fill, cooling properties, and loft before choosing to buy it.

Fill

Your pillow’s fill plays a big part in how cooling it is, as your pillow’s fill makes up almost 100 percent of your pillow. Not only that, but the fill impacts the durability and head and neck support of your pillow.

Memory Foam

Memory foam pillows are popular because they conform and relieve pressure around your head, neck, and shoulders. However, traditional memory foam pillows require heat to soften and respond to your movement. This causes traditional memory foam to overheat and get uncomfortable.

Many brands counteract this by infusing their memory foam pillows with cooling components such as gel or copper. Shredded memory foam pillows tend to be much more breathable than solid memory foam pillows since air can circulate between the shredded bits.

Latex

If you enjoy the pressure relief of memory foam, but don’t want to risk overheating, latex is a great foam fill for pillows. Latex is drastically cooler than memory foam and is also a natural, eco-friendly product. This foam also provides more bounce, so it won’t flatten out or get stuck in one position after you sleep on it.

Down

Down is a soft and luxurious fill made from duck and goose feathers. Despite being so plush, down allows for lots of circulation, helping you stay cool while sleeping. It’s also known for being durable and lasting for many years. Although down pillows are lofty, they’re not as supportive as foam pillows such as memory foam or latex.

Down Alternative

Down alternative is an affordable, synthetic alternative to down. It provides the same fluffy and plush feel at a much lower price. However, down alternative is notorious for trapping heat and constantly needing to be flipped to the cool, untouched side.

Down alternative has the shortest lifespan of all pillow fill types since it’s made from polyester, so you’ll need to replace it more often than other pillows.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat pillows contain the buckwheat hulls, the hard shells of buckwheat seeds. Buckwheat hulls are durable, firm, and adjustable. Since buckwheat hulls do not retain heat and allow for lots of air circulation, hot air won’t get trapped inside of a pillow.

It can feel a bit weird using a buckwheat pillow initially, but it won’t take long to adjust. You can always add or remove the hulls to alter the pillow’s loft and feel.

Water

Although water pillows sound a bit odd, they make for a great cooling pillow. With the right temperature of the water, you can chill out and sleep well.

A useful benefit of water pillows is that they are adjustable. Based on the amount of water you add to the pillow, the pillow can be softer or firmer and thicker or thinner.

And of course, you won’t be sleeping on a vinyl bag full of water. Water pillows are usually encased in a soft pillow cover, which you can then cover with a pillowcase.

Cooling Properties

Since your circadian rhythm lowers your body temperature while you sleep, being hot increases wakefulness and can make it difficult to fall asleep in the first place. For this reason, sleeping on a pillow with excellent cooling effects is essential for good sleep. Staying cool and comfortable throughout the night will help regulate your sleep-wake schedule, making it easier for you to fall asleep and wake up each morning.

Phase Change Material (PCM)

Some cooling pillows contain phase change material, a substance that releases and absorbs energy—or in this case, your body heat. If you’re hot, phase changing material absorbs your heat and feels cold, but if you’re cold, it releases heat and feels warm.

The substance is naturally moisture-wicking, so sleepers who struggle with night sweats, consider a pillow with PCM. PCM is especially common for memory foam pillows since they commonly overheat.

Cooling Infusions

Pillows infused with conductors such as gel, copper, and graphite all draw away heat to help you stay cool while sleeping. Latex and memory foam most commonly contain infusions to keep the foams cool.

While some pillows are merely infused with these materials, others contain actual gel pads you can add or remove as needed.

Breathable Covers

Even if you have a breathable pillow fill, a thick, flannel cover will only mask its cool properties. Look for pillows with moisture-wicking covers that won’t retain heat. You can also use these fabrics for your pillowcase, which you’ll be in direct contact with.

• Cotton: Cotton is a soft and fluffy fiber. It’s available in a variety of styles and price points but is typically breathable and durable.
• Tencel: Tencel is the brand name of lyocell, a cool and smooth fiber. It stands out for being plush, stretchy, and more durable than even the best cotton.
• Celliant®: Celliant® is a fiber with infrared technology. It draws the heat away from your body and transforms the energy to boost blood circulation and sleep quality.
• Bamboo: Bamboo fabric is viscose derived from bamboo trees. It’s lightweight, anti-microbial, and popular for being both moisture-wicking and breathable.
• Wool: Wool is a textile fiber made from sheep. It’s a natural fire repellent and water-resistant, along with being cool compared to other textiles.
• Silk: Silk is known for its shiny feel and near slippery-smooth texture. The fibers are thin but strong, so silk is less likely to absorb moisture or overheat.

Loft

Pillow loft refers to how tall or thin your pillow is. Your pillow’s loft affects the alignment of your spine and neck, which in turn affects your comfort and pain (or lack thereof) while sleeping.

Choosing a pillow loft primarily comes down to your specific sleeping position. Your pillow should fill the space between your head and the bed.

• The best pillows for side sleepers are medium to high loft with a thickness between 5 to 6 inches.
• Pillows for back sleepers should be mid loft—around 4 to 5 inches thick.
• Stomach sleepers need a thin loft pillow measuring 3 inches thick or less. Some stomach sleepers can get away with using no pillow at all if they prefer.

FAQs

Do cooling pillows actually work?

Yes, cooling pillows work to keep your temperature low while you sleep all night. Be sure to double-check what a pillow is made from since even though a pillow can be labeled as “cooling,” it may have a fill and cover that traps heat.

Infused memory foam, latex, down, and phase changing materials all promote breathability. However, avoid pillows primarily made from polyester, flannel, or other thermal materials.

Do I put a pillowcase on my cooling pillow?

Yes, always use a pillowcase over your pillow to protect it from bacteria such as sweat, oils, and dust. Using a pillowcase over your cooling pillow won’t leave the cooling properties obsolete. We merely recommend using a breathable pillowcase over your cooling pillow to further enhance your comfort and ensure you won’t overheat.

How long do cooling pillows last?

The lifespan of your pillow depends on what the pillow is made from, but cooling pillows can last between 3 to 4 years, an above-average lifespan compared to other pillows. We recommend washing your cooling pillow every 3 to 6 months and washing the pillowcase every 1 to 2 weeks.

What’s the best temperature to sleep in?

Your body naturally cools down as you fall asleep, so keeping your bedroom cool better promotes undisturbed sleeping. At the same time, a freezing room isn’t optimal for promoting sleep either.

Experts agree the best temperature for sleep is between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit but play around with these numbers to see what temperature works best for you.

Why do I sweat in my sleep when it’s cold?

Usually, sweating at night is a result of your sleep environment being overly warm to the point where your body cannot thermoregulate as needed. However, if you’re sweating despite feeling cold at night, it’s likely due to an underlying cause.

Some potential causes of night sweats include infections such as flu or cold, menopause, medications, anxiety, and receiving general anesthesia. In most cases, night sweats aren’t harmful, but if your fever lasts longer than three days, contact your doctor.

Conclusion

If you’re constantly struggling to sleep comfortably due to overheating, consider getting a cooling pillow. However, choosing the best pillow is merely one part of helping enhance your sleeping environment. A cooling mattress and breathable bedding also play an important role in your comfort at nighttime.